Volunteers are being sought to join a ‘Big Spring Beach Clean’ on Burnham-On-Sea beach during April.
The group ‘Burnham-On-Sea Surfers Against Sewage’ (SAS) representative, resident and windsurfer Mark Wakeling is asking people to take part in the Surfers Against Sewage & Ecover Big Spring Beach Clean which runs from the 3-9 April.
A clean-up is to be held in Burnham-On-Sea on Sunday April 9th from 2-4pm, meeting at Burnham Jetty.
During this time there will be more than 400 organised Big Spring Beach Cleans and thousands of individual mini beach cleans taking place nationwide involving over 10,000 volunteers.
To take part you can either join an organised beach clean, organise an SAS supported clean or do your own mini beach clean.
“If everyone who visited the beach just picked up a few bits of plastic it would make a big difference,” says Mark.
If you would like to take part in the Big Spring Beach Clean you can register here and Mark will contact you with more information. The beach clean efforts will be posted on social media using the hashtag #BurnhamBeachClean
Mark has already pointed out to us last month that the big plastic problem on the beach and banks at the southern end of the town’s beach where monthly beach cleans are already taking place.
But there is still a huge clean up effort needed, as this picture here on the right – taken on March 25th – shows.
Mark applied to be SAS rep for Burnham-On-Sea last August after seeing the voluntary position advertised. He’s been windsurfing on the Somerset coast for over 25 years and his main beach has been Burnham-On-Sea since moving here from Weston in 2002.
Mark says: “Burnham is a fantastic location for wind water sports. Due to its unique location there are some of the best summer thermal winds in the South West.”
Mark’s main focus at the moment has been Burnham’s bathing water quality – which has failed again to meet bathing standards. He’s been in touch with Wessex Water to discuss this and has attended water quality steering group meetings with local water users and authorities and he’s also been shown around the sewage treatment works at Highbridge, Huntspill and Weston to gain a better understanding of how it all works.
The next big focus for 2017 as part of a national campaign from SAS is plastic on our beaches. To keep up to date with SAS campaigns, events and future beach cleans, join Marks mailing list here and the Facebook page here. If you have any concerns about bathing water quality, come across any pollution related incidents, want to organise a beach clean or just say hi, then you can contact Mark.
